New Year’s is a traditional and powerful time for intention and goal setting. While getting clear on your big vision and goals is important, no matter how precise your plan is, those goals will remain in your mind or on a piece of paper unless you take action. It is easy to slide down the slope into inaction, especially when the goal is challenging forces you to get uncomfortable. 

Taking action is always better than waiting in inaction. Inaction is how we deny life, while the action is the way we live life to the fullest. What stops us from taking action? Our fears, our doubts, our insecurities in our abilities or what people think of us, not to mention the tendency towards perfectionism and the unhappiness that comes with that. 

I am going to share with you one way I know to overcome inaction. This is by getting into the habit of “always doing your best”. 

“Always Do Your Best” is the fourth agreement featured in “The Four Agreements Wisdom Book” written by Don Miguel Ruiz. It may be the last agreement discussed, but it is the most important because it allows the other three agreements to become ingrained habits and the fourth agreement is the action of the first three. If you haven’t read the book, allow me to recap for you the first three agreements: “Being Impeccable with Your Word”, “Don’t Take Anything Personally”, and “Don’t Make Assumptions”. 

When you “always do your best”, you take action and learn from your mistakes and in the process, you learn and become better. “Always doing your best” involves taking the action because you love what you are doing, not because you expect recognition or a reward for having done so. What you will find along the way is an improved sense of self-acceptance, happiness, and fulfilment. This allows you to be yourself and be true to yourself. 

Does this mean you are perfect? No. In fact, this approach takes away the stress of perfectionism, which is a prime reason many become trapped in inaction. Our “best” will change from day to day, and that is natural. But when you show up every day and give the best you can on that day, you will get better and the compound effect from many victories, even the smallest, each and every day will lead to big wins over time. Setting the intention to “always do your best” gives you the peace of mind that allows you to enjoy the MO’ments of your life and find pride in yourself and joy in your life. 

How can you make ‘Doing Your Best’ a habit, a ritual, a belief, a MO’tive for living?  

When setting your goals for your fitness, nutrition, relationships, mental wellbeing, sleep, stress management, self-care, skin-care, personal growth and so on it is important to have a direction and a destination. Knowing where you want to go or end up (goal) is important, otherwise, how will you know when you get there, however, may I suggest that you focus on the journey, and learn to trust and flow with the process and enjoy your journey and make each day about loving and honouring your effort. Decide you are doing your best for the sheer pleasure of doing it, living fully in the experience (just being in the MO’ment). I know this is not natural or easy – taking action may appear to be all about taking action but trust me that action can be about being in the MO’ment as you MO’ve yourself in the direction of your goals. Being requires you to go deeper. The is how you become and remain true to yourself and can show up as the best version of yourself in your work, relationships both personal and professional and life.

You cannot guarantee or control all the variables in your life and sometimes we have no control over the outcomes. But what we have control over is ourselves; our attitudes, beliefs and how you choose to approach life’s situations and whether or not you choose to take action at all. The decision to “Always Do Your Best” is simple but powerful and purposeful. 

The intention and nature of your approach create a perspective transformation that has a profound effect on how you feel and how you perceive and live your life. And that changes everything about your experience. Make the focus of this year on taking action while being in the MO’ment as you MO’ve forward. 

Wishing you a happy, healthy and MO’mentus 2021! 

Mo

Share to: